List of Class-Specific Mechanics Differences
Some classes in EverQuest have unique hard coded traits that differentiate the mechanics of their gameplay from other classes, and some gain unique AA abilities for free while leveling up that other classes do not receive. This page is intended to list of all known "innate" class-specific mechanics differences. Because bards have (by far) the most differences of any class, this list will be presented in reverse alphabetical order. Wizard *From level 10 onward, wizards have an innate chance to score a critical blast with direct damage spells. This innate chance stacks with the Spell Casting Fury AA (and other related AA lines). Warrior *Warriors innately take 5% less damage from the damage interval portion of melee damage (which for most mobs accounts for the majority of the damage dealt with each swing). The exact way this happens is sometimes debated, but a common theory is that the d20 roll for the damage interval is automatically reduced by one if the target of the attack is a warrior. If this is true, it means that a mob attacking a warrior can only add (random number from 0 to 19) times its damage interval stat, rather than the usual (random number from 1 to 20). *A warrior whose health falls below 30% (confirm value?) of maximum will enter a berserker frenzy upon taking damage, and will remain in that state permanently until his or her health rises to 45% of maximum. *From level 10 onward, warriors have an innate chance to score a critical hit with melee attacks. This innate chance stacks with the Combat Fury AA. Shaman *No known unique coding differences. Shadow Knight *While leveling up, the class automatically receives free ranks in the Harm Touch AA, beginning at level 6 and gaining a new rank every five levels thereafter through level 46. Beginning at level 51, the ability requires AA point investment to continue improving it. Rogue *If a rogue uses hide while in combat (requires turning autoattack off), the class's evasion mechanic will attempt to trigger. If succesful, the rogue will lose some of his or her current hate. *From level 10 onward, rogues have an innate chance to score a "deadly strike" (critical hit) with ranged attacks made with throwing weapons. *From level (when?) onward, rogues have an innate chance to assassinate targets below level (what?) if they initiate combat against such targets by using a backstab. This assassination deals (how much?) damage and is often sufficient to one-shot creatures that it works on. (This mechanic can later be improved-upon via Class AAs.) Ranger *From level 10 onward, rangers innately deal double damage with all ranged attacks made with a bow, provided that both of the following conditions are met: **The target is not moving. **The target is not rooted. *From level 10 onward, rangers have an innate chance to score a critical hit with ranged attacks made using a bow. This innate chance stacks with other sources of crit. *From level 55 onward, rangers gain one free rank of the Hunter's Attack Power AA with every level. This AA grants four points of attack rating per rank. *Despite community assertions to the contrary, Rangers do not appear to be hard-coded to die more often than other classes. This is simply something that happens. :-) Paladin *While leveling up, the class automatically receives free ranks in the Lay on Hands AA, beginning at level 6 and gaining a new rank every five levels thereafter through level 46. Beginning at level 51, the ability requires AA point investment to continue improving it. Necromancer *No known unique coding differences. Monk *When equipped with nothing in a given hand, the damage and delay of a monk's resulting hand to hand attacks will be higher than those of any other class of comparable level. The damage and delay of these unarmed attacks improves naturally as the monk levels up. *Monks gain an innate bonus to armor class as a class mechanic, however... **This armor class bonus is conditional on the monk keeping his or her carried weight below a certain threshold. **For every point of weight beyond the threshold, a portion of the AC bonus is lost. **The weight threshold begins at 15 (at level 1) and increases gradually as the monk rises in levels (include and confirm other numbers?) **Generally speaking, this mechanic makes the Packrat AA far more desirable for monks than for any other class. **This mechanic is what people mean when they refer to the weight thing. Magician *No known unique coding differences. Enchanter *No known unique coding differences. Druid *No known unique coding differences. Cleric *Clerics have a 5% innate bonus to healing spells. Berserker *From level 10 onward, berserkers have an innate chance to score a critical hit with melee attacks. This innate chance stacks with the Combat Fury AA. Beastlord *No known unique coding differences. Bard Bards have been affirmed by Elidroth (in his July 24, 2013 "Critical Hit!" podcast appearance) to have a very large number of class-related coding exceptions, although he did not delve into the specifics. This list will attempt to be as comprehensive as possible, based on differences that are readily observable by players. *Bard spellcasting is special: **''Even while moving'', bards can freely cast any song, clicky, or activated AA ability that has a cast time. The class appears to use no Channeling checks of any kind. (Becoming stunned or hitstunned can still interrupt a bard's casting.) **A bard cannot begin casting a song while sitting or ducking. However, once the casting bar appears and is counting down, the bard may freely duck or sit down without interrupting the cast. A bard can cancel song casting through either of the following methods: ***Attempting to activate any song gem again. ***Typing /stopsong **If a bard cancels the casting of a song that has a cooldown, that song will go on cooldown for 10 seconds. This differs from all other classes, for whom cooldowns are not activated at all if a spell is canceled. **If a bard activates an AA with a cast time (e.g. Origin), no spellcasting bar will show up, but the casting timer will still invisibly count down. As with clickies, the bard can interrupt the cast by ducking. If the bard activates a different ability with a cast time while the "hidden" AA cast timer is still counting down, strange interactions can result. (describe?) **A bard can freely activate any instant-cast activated AA or clicky while singing, without any disruption to the song's casting. This includes Fading Memories, which can lead to interesting tricks when pulling. **A bard can also freely activate non-instant-cast clickies while singing. Unfortunately, doing this usually causes the bard's song gems to lock up when the clicky finishes casting. Typing /stopsong once this has happened can help remedy the lockup, but the lockup will still usually take at least a few seconds to go away. While the lockup is in effect, all song gems will be grayed out. *Bard mana is special: **Mana drain effects do not remove mana from a bard, even though such effects can be successfully cast on bards. **Mana regeneration buffs of any kind do not affect bard mana regeneration. Neither do effects which directly grant a flat amount of mana (e.g. twitch effects). **Innate mana regeneration, passive mana regeneration AAs (e.g. Mental Clarity), the Mana Regen equipment stat, and resting do affect bard mana regeneration. *Bard hate generation is special: **Nearly all possible actions that a bard can take have their possible hate-per-action capped at a very low number, including autoattack swings and nearly all songs. **The main exceptions to this rule are the bard's single-target "Chant" DoT songs, which generate hate like a normal class's actions would and can be used to enable bards to hold aggro when tanking.